big science and the transits of venus 135
claiming that the program was created in order to benefit Texans is more
far fetched. In the case of the Mohole, the Texan angle was underscored
in order to amalgamate the necessary political will for the funding of the
project, but it was not its raison d’être. The project was not aimed at ben-
efiting Houston or helping the reelection of Congressman Thomas but
rather at helping another interest group — geologists.
Scientists are often the entrepreneurs, evaluators, and main beneficia-
ries of Big Science. It is therefore no wonder to find scientists involved in
all stages of Big Science politics. However, unlike Floridians or Texans,
astronomers, physicists, and biologists are not likely to have significant
electoral influence. While scientists can exert more authority than a lay-
man, there are many cases in which the power of knowledge fails to trans-
late into political influence (Haas 1992 ). The general failure of scientists
to influence many aspects of environmental legislation is a case in point.
Scientists quickly learn that a successful bid for government funding de-
pends on finding a way to connect scientific goals with political motivations.
In many cases this means justifying the proposed project in terms of na-
tional prestige and international competition. Ironically, since the logic of
conspicuous consumption is deeply engrained within the political system,
being successful often means “thinking big”— coming up with extravagant
projects even if those produce less desirable science. The politics of Big Sci-
ence, therefore, creates a demand for purple pigeons and tends to neglect
the more solid promise of gray mice. In the case of the Human Genome
Project, for example, sequencing the entire genome was an expensive yet
captivating proposal even though only 5 percent of the genome carries
meaningful information. Federal funding for the project reduced available
resources for more focused genetics studies, leading critics to question the
advisability of the project as a whole (Haseltine 1998 ; Hughes 2002 , 147 ).
Government agencies remained committed to funding the project even
when private investors were willing to take over. Instead of transferring
funds to other projects, politicians sought the prestige that comes with
this symbolic achievement. As a result, the logic of Big Science is often
detached from the logic of science and from the interests of scientists, sug-
gesting that there is more to Big Science than simple pork- barrel politics.
*
As this discussion demonstrates, it is difficult to find one all- encompassing
explanation for Big Science. Most projects are likely to include aspects
of each of the three hypotheses elaborated above: the desire for strategic
